Climate Change

Climate change is arguably the most significant conservation challenge we face today. Global warming threatens the integrity of marine and terrestrial habitats and interrupts natural cycles such as migration and hibernation. WCS works across the globe to combat the effects of climate change on wildlife and wild places. Our wide-reaching studies of this worldwide phenomenon inform decisions by the scientific community and policymakers, as well as local organizations. Our conservationists work on the ground with communities that depend on natural resources to help them find mutually-beneficial solutions to relieve the stress on fragile ecosystems. We also work closely with governments and corporations to reduce and offset carbon emissions. Protecting the world’s remaining forests from destruction is an important tool for stemming the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

Featured Projects

Climate change affects life in every biome, from the apex of the Arctic food chain to the tropical sea floor. The tiny creatures that are the building blocks of coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to rising ocean temperatures.

In collaboration with the government of Madagascar, WCS’s Makira REDD+ Project will help finance the long-term conservation of one of Madagascar’s most pristine remaining rainforests, home to rare and threatened biodiversity. It will also help enhance the economic wellbeing of neighboring communities.

WCS Ecologist Jerry Jenkins, who has spent more than four decades studying the environment of the Adirondacks, documents the impacts of climate change on the region’s wildlife, habitats, and communities.